Interstate Moving: What to Expect

It’s Almost Time to Move. Here’s What to Expect.

Bekins has specialized in interstate moving for more than a century. We’re your resource when moving across state lines—otherwise, you can work directly with your local agent. Along the way, we’ve learned what works best, how to help our customers prepare for their move, and what they should expect during the process. The bottom line? Our expert movers make your move a simple and stress-free process.

On moving day, you can relax and leave all of the hard work to the professional movers. When your Bekins driver arrives, he or she will conduct an initial walk-through of your home. This is a good opportunity to let the driver know what items will be shipped and which items will stay. This also allows the driver to visualize how your belongings will best fit in the truck.

The driver and his crew will then prepare your house by protecting the floors and doorways. Once loading is ready to begin, the driver will use the inventory form to document the items, and their condition, going on the truck. The driver and his crew will wrap furniture pads (specially designed blankets) around your furniture to protect it from scratches and other damage. Overstuffed furniture (couches, etc.) will be wrapped in stretch wrap to help prevent damage. Once an item is properly protected it will be loaded on the truck.

After your belongings are loaded on the truck the driver will ask you to sign some paperwork, including the Bill of Lading, High Value Inventory, and Inventory.

Here’s a summary of what you can expect over the course of your move.

Planning Your Move

Planning appropriately is essential for your move. The first step is to get a free in-home estimate—after that, you can decide which available services best fit your budget. Please contact Bekins with as much notice as possible before you move. It’s ideal to have us provide an estimate five to six weeks prior to your desired move date.

Working With a Move Manager

Your move manager is your point of contact for any questions or concerns about your move. They’ll oversee the process from start to finish—working directly with agents, drivers, loaders, customer service representatives, and you—and they’re are available for consultation at any point during the process. And remember, you can always check out our moving guides and FAQ pagefor tips and answers to commonly asked questions.

Packing

Bekins offers expert packing services, but this is optional. You can also pack things yourself, and if you decide to go this route, we suggest you take a close look at our packing guides. Packing correctly is critical for keeping your items safe, so if you decide to do it yourself, please make sure you’re being careful. It’s always a good idea to get packing done well in advance of your move, making sure to leave your essential items for last. And don’t forget to check out your protection and valuation options.

Loading

You can count on Bekins to take care of all your truck loading needs, so you won’t need to worry about moving anything. And we’ll take special care with your fragile items to ensure they’ll be safe for the entire trip. Depending on the size of your home, loading can take anywhere from a few hours to a full day—and be sure to share your travel plans with your agent, especially if you’re travelling on the same day of your move. It’s important for you to plan on being there for the loading process so we can provide you with a detailed inventory list.

In-Transit

Your agent can answer any questions you might have about the progress of your belongings toward your destination. Depending on the distance of your move, transit can take as little as a day or as long as a few weeks. We also offer storage-in-transit options, if necessary.

Delivery, Inventory, and Payment

Your driver will contact you at least 48 hours prior to the delivery of your belongings. Ensure that the driver has your destination contact information prior to his departure from your origin residence.

Once the truck arrives at your destination, payment is made prior to unloading. It will be up to you to inspect your belongings to make sure there’s no damage. Also please ensure that nothing was missed, and that everything you expected to be delivered made it to the destination.

You can pay for your move any time prior to unloading at your destination with cash, money order, traveler’s check, certified check, or cashier’s check. Or, with prior credit approval, you can charge the cost of your move to your personal credit card. Bekins gladly accepts the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express.

Unpacking

You can choose to unpack items yourself, or your Bekins driver and crew will be more than happy to assist with unpacking. We can also recycle all moving boxes and cartons.

Satisfaction and Service

Your feedback is important to us, and our goal is to leave our customers completely satisfied. Please let us know how we did as we’re always looking to improve our level of service.